


The Molybdenum Ring

by TJoeyLC (Tjoeylc)



Category: Original Work
Genre: Brazil, Colorado, Earthquakes, Egypt, Everyone Is Gay, France (Country), Gen, Hawaii, Implied Relationships, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Italy, Japan, London, M/M, Minor Character Death, New Year's Eve, New Year's Kiss, Rings, Spain, Twins, United Kingdom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-16
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-06-11 16:39:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15319731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tjoeylc/pseuds/TJoeyLC
Summary: Thomas, a stock photo model who hates his job, decides to quit and go on a tour of the world with his high school best friends, which sounds like a wonderful adventure, right? However, his doubts about his future job security cause him to question if it was a good decision to go at all.





	The Molybdenum Ring

**Author's Note:**

> This original work is something I completed in less that a week for a school assignment almost a year ago. Other than some light editing to fix typos and tense mistakes, it is unchanged from when I turned it in. Because of this, it is underdeveloped. There is little substance to the story, instead it just grazes over a large amount of time. You may only get to know a snippet of each character's personality. Also, most things in this story are implied and left up to interpretation, not concretely stated.
> 
> To rectify all this, there will be some clarifications in the end notes.
> 
> Without further ado, please enjoy The Molybdenum Ring.

“10.”

Thomas Fault, 23, makes his way through the throng of people crowded around the flat-screen television set, crossing the threshold into the unfamiliar kitchen.

“9.”

Thomas Fault saunters to the counter which provides a home for the wine and sparkling grape juice that had been purchased last week for tonight’s occasion.

“8.”

Thomas Fault holds the bottle with a firm grip as he labouriously removes the metal cap which holds the cork in place.

“7.”

Thomas Fault gingerly pours the bottle’s substance into a glass.

“6.”

Thomas Fault replaces the metal cap on the bottle, but leaves the cork sitting, abandoned, on the black and white granite countertop.

“5.”

Thomas Fault turns around, facing the mostly-tipsy party-goers in the living room.

“4.”

Thomas Fault glances down at his right hand, the one not holding his glass.

“3.”

Thomas Fault rubs the ring adorning his right ring finger with the thumb from the same hand, a longing, slightly sad expression on his face.

“2.”

Thomas Fault takes a sip of his drink, the carbonation causing his nose to tingle.

“1. Happy New Year!”

Thomas Fault, bored, observes the just-barely-adults kiss the nearest person in a sad excuse for a tradition.

Then, people he barely knows are flooding into the kitchen, strangers making grabs for drinks and once-friends pushing him away.

Before he can even think the word _again_ , someone grabs his shoulder and pulls him to a table in the foyer, pushing him into a seat, and grabbing his drink to set it on said table. He looks up to confront his attacker, but freezes when he sees just who the “attacker” is.

“Ryan?” Thomas asks, shocked to see his wealthy, used-to-be-best friend at a neighborhood New Year’s party in a town he doesn’t even live in anymore.

“Yeah man, who else would it be?” Ryan asks.

Thomas uses this moment to inspect his old friend. Ryan has on a green button-up shirt with white stars dotted all over the fabric and black skinny jeans. His wardrobe hasn’t changed much in the past 4 years, then. His hair is still a vibrant purple from when he dyed it as an act of rebellion against his father during their senior year of highschool, although he’s probably re-dyed it a bit to keep the color from fading.

“Tommy?” Ryan asks.

In this moment, Thomas realises both that he had been staring, and that Ryan’s first question had not been rhetorical.

“Oh. Uh, no one. I just wasn’t expecting to see you. And, um. Don’t call me Tommy,” Thomas reassures him, probably ineffectively seeing as he sounded like a blubbering fish the whole time.

“Reyna and I came up to spend Christmas with Mom. We figured, why not stay in town for New Years? Besides, parties are always great, you know that, Tommy...er, Thomas?” Ryan explains.

Thomas gives a small nod in approval at the use of his full name, and before he can continue the conversation, Ryan’s twin sister, Reyna, is pulling Ryan into a chair and shushing the table’s other occupants, a blonde man Thomas doesn't know and a black-haired girl he vaguely remembers from Junior English. Her name is Grace or Gabi, something with a ‘G’, but he doesn’t quite recall. Reyna pulls her long, strawberry blonde hair over her shoulder while taking an enthusiastic sip of her drink, and then speaks.

“Since it’s been so long since Ryan and I have seen any of you,” she begins, “we’re going to share our New Year's resolutions with each other. I’ll start. This year, I’m going to be less careless, in an effort to please my brother, who needs to let me actually do things that are fun. Now, Ryan shares his resolution.”

_Resolutions? I don’t have any this year._

“Okay,” Ryan starts, “My resolution this year is to be less uptight, and allow my sister to go skydiving because she’s her own person and shouldn’t need me to babysit her every hour of the day.”

_I need to come up with something, fast. I can’t embarrass myself to start off the new year._

“Alright. Now… you,” Reyna says, pointing to Gina.

_I could say I’ll go to the gym every day; that will work._

“I’m going to jog three miles every morning. At least until February,” Gemma giggles.

_Well, there goes that idea._

“My turn, then,” the blonde guy declares before Thomas can speak,”I’m gonna learn to cook something other than ramen.”

_Think._

“Yay!” exclaims Gwen, putting her arm around the blonde guy’s shoulders.

_Think._

“Okay, Thomas. It’s your turn!” Reyna says, looking at him.

_Think, Thomas, Thi- Oh! I’ve got it!_

“I’m going to quit my job!” Thomas shouts triumphantly.

“Whoa, really?” Reyna asks, to which Thomas nods, somewhat sheepishly, but Reyna doesn’t seem to notice his uncomfortableness.

“Wait, dude. Aren’t you a stock photo model with like, zero skills in anything else? What are you gonna do for a living?” Ryan asks.

“Oh. Umm… I haven’t actually… thought of that, yet,” Thomas replies, while silently berating himself for the loophole in his shoddy story.

“Well, in that case…” Reyna trails.

“In that case… what?” Thomas inquires, perplexed.

Reyna and Ryan share a look, and Ryan nods.

“We were wondering if you’d like to travel with us?” Reyna says, but it sounds more like a question than a statement.

“Travel where? When?” Thomas asks.

Ryan cuts in, “We’re traveling the world, and we’re gonna be gone for 8 months. We didn’t want to go just the two of us - that would be boring - but for some reason, none of our friends in Denver wanted to go. We’ll be visiting one country every month and doing stuff pertaining to that country for the duration… of the… stay.”

Silence rings in the foyer after his explanation’s awkward resolution.

“Uh… Sure, I’ll go with you.” Thomas agrees.

“Really?” Reyna half-squeals, half-asks.

“Why not? I mean, I’m not happy here. I think a vacation could do me some good.”

~~ ~~|~~ ~~

“Okay, so after Hawaii, we’re doing Japan, then Italy, France, the UK, Brazil, then Spain, and ending with Egypt,” Reyna finishes with a flourish, but the motion is interrupted by the tray in front of her.

“Remind me again why we’re not flying first class.” Ryan complains.

“You know why. It’s not my fault our flight was canceled and we had to settle for this.” Reyna tells him.

“Wait,” Thomas starts, “Did you say we’re going to Brazil?”

“Yes,” says Reyna, “Why?”

“You remember Alisha, right?” Thomas asks.

“Your older sister who happens to be really hot?” Ryan interrupts.

“She’s gay, and I wasn’t asking you. Do you, Reyna?” Thomas says.

Reyna gives a nod in agreement and looks at Thomas, waiting for him to continue.

“Well, she just happens to be studying abroad in Brazil. Could we visit her?” Thomas asks.

“Of course we can, Thomas,” Reyna smiles.

~~ ~~|~~ ~~

Hawaii is wonderful - the birds are gorgeous, the flowers are blooming, the sun is shining. Best of all, the three friends swim and hang out at the beach every day for hours on end, wearing expensive sunscreen and (in Reyna’s case) suntan oil. Thomas and Ryan hold contests to see who could hold their breath the longest (Ryan) and who could tread water the longest (also Ryan).

Thomas misses home, but the food is great. They eat at a restaurant which serves traditional Hawaiian cuisine every night for dinner and dessert, trying different combinations of meals. By the end of the third week, Thomas decides that Laulau for dinner and Malasada for desert is his favourite, while Reyna is partial to the Huli-huli chicken with shaved ice and Ryan to Saimin with Haupia. He loves the Haupia so much, in fact, that he convinces the chef to give him the recipe before they leave for Japan.

~~ ~~|~~ ~~

 _Japan is my favourite country_ , Thomas thinks as he devours another tuna onigiri. It tastes even better than the one he had in the restaurant in Tokyo - the one with all the lights and the dancing robots - because he makes it himself. Reyna and Ryan both try to make the umeboshi onigiri, but don’t like it. Thomas isn’t sure if it's because of the taste or because they completely over-seasoned them. Ryan gets upset that his onigiri was ruined, so Thomas makes him one with a better rice-to-umeboshi ratio and feeds it to him.

Being in Japan chases off thoughts of home; Thomas had wanted to visit the country since he was a Junior. He was the only one of them to take Japanese in high school, even if it was only two years, and he still remembers most of it. He delights in translating signs for the twins, even if they only say “Please do not litter” or “200 yen”.

They spend their last day appreciating the fully-bloomed cherry blossoms and attending a traditional tea ceremony. Thomas thought the thing he would miss most about the land of the rising sun would be authentic onigiri, which is hard to come by in the US, but also maybe the way Ryan smiled when he found a beautiful painting of a cherry blossom tree.

~~ ~~|~~ ~~

Thomas’ favourite cheese was ricotta. He only knew this because he tried every cheese in every dish available in Italy. Well, maybe not every dish, but a lot. Ryan loved good old cheddar, while Reyna had found a friend in cabrales blue cheese.

While in Italy, they visited landmarks like the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Colosseum, and even explored the ruins of Pompeii. They picnicked in Rome, but Reyna bounded off to take photos with her cell phone, leaving Ryan and Thomas to their own deep conversation, ranging in topic from the ethics of rescuing animals to Thomas’ own decisions regarding his job and the trip.

Eventually, though, they waved goodbye to Italy.

~~ ~~|~~ ~~

The view from the top of the Eiffel Tower is absolutely stunning, but it gives Thomas time to be alone with his thoughts. He thinks about how beautiful France is, which somehow leads him to question if he was doing the right thing for himself by coming on the trip with the twins. His wondering stews for a while, cooking into doubt, but it hasn’t yet been reduced to surety.

~~ ~~|~~ ~~

Try as he might, Thomas can't muster up the courage to try escargot. He's disappointed in himself for the, in his opinion, failure, and Reyna reassures him it tastes delicious, but he just can’t do it. He must be visibly upset, because Ryan places a comforting hand on his shoulder. He feels the heat on his doubt turn up, and he rubs the ring on his right hand.

Reyna must notice because she asks him what it's made of and where he got it, and when he answers molybdenum and my mother, she apologizes and doesn't bring it up again.

~~ ~~|~~ ~~

London is a nice break from the usual excitement of their trip. Mainly, Thomas just stays in his room at the 5-star hotel they’re staying in, enjoying the rest and relaxation of endless Doctor Who reruns with Ryan and a complimentary spa with a sauna.

He's almost sad to see it go, but also, he kind of has cabin fever.

~~ ~~|~~ ~~

When they arrive in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the first thing Thomas wants to do is see Alisha. However, he first has to sleep off the jet lag from the flight. Besides, they aren't supposed to meet until tomorrow. Alisha has classes that day, anyway.

~~ ~~|~~ ~~

Thomas knocks on the door, smiling when it immediately opens to reveal his sister’s shining face. He opens his arms and she jumps forward, embracing him like friends who haven’t seen each other in years, because that’s exactly what they are.

The two make small talk as they make their way to the sitting room, Alisha stopping in the kitchen on the way to turn on the kettle for tea. They settle on the comfortable grey sofa.

“So, how’s your vacation been?” Alisha asks.

“It’s been amazing. I’ve been so many cool places, like Japan, and Hawaii, and France…” Thomas trails, suddenly remembering the doubt he left simmering away on the back burner. It was beginning to reduce, now, and it won't be long ‘till he's an emotional mess.

“Tom… You ok?” Alisha asks worriedly.

“Yeah, I just…”

Thomas begins rubbing the ring on his right hand while putting together words.

“No. I’m not really ok. I can’t decide if I did this - this whole trip - for myself, or for the twins, who I hadn’t seen in years when I agreed to come. I mean, I’m normally so cautious and I think things through, but this time… I did it so- so impulsively and I can’t figure out if that’s a good thing or not. What happens when this trip is over? I can’t get my job back, and I can’t exactly afford to go to school for something else. I don’t even know what I want to do anymore. What if- what if I go home and I can’t get a job because I’m really not qualified for anything that’s not modeling and I really hate modeling so what do I do? What do I do, Alisha? Please. Tell me what I should do,” Thomas is almost sobbing now, and Alisha sits there, a comforting hand on his shoulder, and doesn't move, even when the kettle whistles from the kitchen.

“Okay. Okay. I’ll tell you what you do. You do nothing. Absolutely nothing,” Alisha tells him with a steely voice.

“How is that supposed to help me?” Thomas asks, his voice cracking on ‘that’.

“Just go with the flow. If something happens, it happens, and there’s nothing you can do about it. If nothing happens, then nothing happens, and you just leave it. But if you think you made a mistake by seeing all the things you’ve seen, then, by all means, go ahead and go home. But if I had the opportunity to do what you’ve been doing this year, I would take it the first chance I got, and I wouldn’t be complaining. I’d be enjoying every second of it for what it is: a vacation. Well, in your case, it’s kind of a lifestyle, but I mean… same thing.”

“Thanks, Alisha,” Thomas says, no longer rubbing the ring, “You give great advice.” He can feel his doubt being removed from the heat, no longer in danger of becoming something else, but it's still there.

They spend the rest of the afternoon drinking tea (Alisha had to restart the kettle because the water was too cold) and watching cheesy Brazilian crime shows.

~~ ~~|~~ ~~

“I almost don’t want to leave. It’s been great to see you,” Thomas says, while the end credits of an episode of Canal Livre plays.

“It’s been good to see you, too. Now, shoo, before my roommate gets home from work,” Alisha says.

“Roommate?” Thomas asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Her name’s Katey, and we’re just friends,” Alisha says, rolling her eyes.

“Okay, okay. I’ll leave. Can I visit again?” Thomas requests.

“You’ll be here for a month, Tom. I’m sure we’ll fit in some sibling bonding time,” Alisha assures him, smiling.

Thomas returns the smile and gives Alisha a hug, before turning towards the door and leaving.

~~ ~~|~~ ~~

Thomas does, indeed, visit Alisha many times during his stay in Brazil, but none are quite as eventful as the first visit. All the visits culminate in a big, fancy dinner the second-to-last day Thomas and the twins are in Brazil. Everyone is there, even Katey, and it's a lot of fun, even if Ryan makes him try the papaya preserves - he hates papaya.

The goodbyes are long and drawn-out, and then the trio is on its way to Spain.

~~ ~~|~~ ~~

They've been in Spain for two weeks, Ryan translating in a way similar to what Thomas did in Japan. They ate food, traveling from Barcelona to Madrid, stopping at various cities along the way. It's in one of these cities, Soria, that it happens.

They're at a market, Reyna looking for the spiciest food she can find while Ryan and Thomas appreciate the art one vendor has on display. Everything is the picture of calm as people go about their business, buying groceries or simply passing through.

Then, everything and everyone is shaking and people are screaming something that must mean ‘earthquake’, because Thomas is pretty sure that an earthquake is what's happening.

Ryan grabs his hand and runs towards Reyna, who's sitting under a table in a vain attempt at safety. She joins them and they run, faster than any of them had before, and then Ryan falls and Thomas stops to help him up but Reyna doesn't stop. She keeps going as if she didn't notice Ryan falling and Thomas stopping at all, which may be the case. She finds a group of people, mainly women and children, huddled all together on top of a hill, and joins them.

Ryan and Thomas, meanwhile, are trying to find someplace away from the buildings and merchant stalls that are collapsing all around them. They find purchase in a park about 100 meters from the point where Ryan fell, but before they can sit, the shaking stops. However, they know there will be aftershocks and stay where they are. Ryan starts rubbing the ring on his right hand.

Reyna and the rescue workers find them there fifteen minutes later, still in shock and holding each other. Relief clearly floods Reyna’s face as the rescuers assure her that her brother and friend were unscathed by the disaster, and Ryan is still rubbing the ring.

~~ ~~|~~ ~~

Later that night, in their hotel room, they watch the news. There's only one English news channel they can find, but it gives them all the information they need: the earthquake was a 7.9, making it the largest in Spain’s history; the epicenter was very close to a place called Gurray, which was 5 miles from Soria, and; the death toll is 600 and counting.

~~ ~~|~~ ~~

They're going home. They all could have died, after all, and the aftershocks will still be going on for weeks, and they don't want to stay. Thomas’ doubt returns full-force, and he knows that he would be better off at home.

~~ ~~|~~ ~~

Thomas Fault, 27, walks in through the door of the studio. He greets Elijah and Galiña at their shared desk, moving over to the green screen. He looks at himself on the monitor that exists for the sole purpose of letting himself and others in the studio see what he looks like on camera. He smoothes out the wrinkles in his suit jacket and fixes his hair, preparing for when he is given his cue. Veronica gives him the signal, and he speaks, staring into the lens.

“Good morning everyone! And what a good morning it is. Today, all over Fremont county, we have sunny weather and warm temperatures. In Ridgedale today, we have a high of 82 and a low of 74, and in Matte Lake, a high of 79…”

~~ ~~|~~ ~~

Later that day, when Thomas comes home from work, Reyna and Ryan greet him with a special dinner of foods that he had discovered a love for on their trip. He hasn't seen Laulau in years, and the taste reminds him of all the good memories their trip had. The onigiri had been prepared perfectly, this time around, and the nori that covers it is high-quality. Thomas even finally tries escargot, and although he doesn’t like it, the experience allows for a laugh and, eventually, an inside joke.

When they go to sleep that night, Reyna in her room and Ryan and Thomas in their shared one, Thomas rubs the ring on his left hand, the one with a small diamond set in the middle, the one that had been there only a month, and thinks,  _I am happy_.

FIN

**Author's Note:**

> Some clarifications/added facts:  
> \- Thomas and Ryan are both bisexual.  
> \- Reyna is aroace.  
> \- All three of them are natural blondes, but Thomas dyes his hair a light brown and Ryan dyes his purple. Reyna keeps hers its natural color.  
> \- They are all from a fictional town called Matte Lake in the real-life Fremont County in Colorado.  
> \- The molybdenum ring is from Thomas' mother, who died just before Ryan and Reyna moved to Denver. Thomas felt abandoned by them at this time, which led to the unspoken end of their friendship.  
> \- The ring with a diamond is from Ryan. It's an engagement ring.  
> \- At the end, the trio lives in Denver, but Thomas works in their home county.  
> \- Ryan has a taste for art and other pretty things. He is a florist with a shop in Denver.  
> \- Alisha is adopted. She is also black. She pines after Katey for years before they finally get together.  
> \- At the beginning, during the party, Thomas is drinking sparkling grape juice. He abstains from drinking because of his mom, who was a recovering alcoholic at the time of her death.
> 
> I have another series of stories (which are unfinished so far) in which Ryan features as a recurring character. The series follows the best friend, Bo, of Ryan's cousin, Eliot. Ryan serves as a mentor. In case you were wondering, the paranormal does exist in this universe and is a major plot point of the series.
> 
> Maybe I'll post that series one day. Who knows?


End file.
